Fiction Ed Kirstyn shares her favourite new releases
TOP REVIEW
THE MURDER AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE by Katy Brent
HQ, PB, £9.99 Of course it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover, but this hot pink, elegant, strong-woman image lays out exactly what to expect. Protagonist Molly wakes up after a rough night to discover that a video of her gone viral for the worst reason. Oh, and her roommate is also dead – and it doesn’t look like an accident.
Katy Brent packs so much into this impeccably plotted murder mystery, with twists and turns that leave us just as backfooted as Molly as she tries to figure out what on earth has happened – and why.
Yet the murder mystery is almost (almost) secondary to the other themes that infuse the novel. It is a scathing takedown of the patriarchy, sex shaming, and how men and women are treated differently for engaging in similar behaviour. In Molly Monroe, Brent has created a protagonist that anyone who grew up with – or simply exists in – a world with social media will relate to. Winding around motifs of grief, trauma and the surprising ways they affect us, Brent delivers a compelling and incredibly important novel.
ROMANCE AND SELF-DISCOVERY
I REMEMBER PARIS by Lucy Diamond Quercus, HB, £16.99 Lucy Diamond wraps up readers in another escapist tale, following Jess Bright as she flits from her hometown of Kent to the dreamy Parisian streets. Single mum and journalist Jess jumps at the chance to take on a memoir ghostwriting job with renowned artist Adelaide Fox – who she has previously interviewed. Now, however, their working relationship is … fractious to say the least. Both women find themselves confronting their pasts: Adelaide revealing the gossip from her exhilarating eighty years, Jess recalling time spent in Paris two decades ago with Pascale. Traversing timelines, tragedy and terrible secrets, we get to know the characters at the same time as they’re rediscovering themselves. And that’s the main thrust of this thoughtful novel: how second chances and unlikely friendships can help you come to terms with – and ultimately return to – yourself.
SHARP THRILLER
NOTHING WITHOUT ME by Helen Monks Takhar HQ, PB, £8.99 When the star of her award-nominated film is found dead in a swimming pool, April has to figure out what happened and protect herself. A whip-smart thriller
